Parents as Teachers is rich with a multitude of backgrounds and languages, and we intentionally aim to engage families in responsive and relevant ways - at home and abroad - to optimize positive child and family outcomes.

Guest hosts Dr. Dipesh Navsaria and Rachel Giannini speak to leading specialists Jovanna Archuleta, Michael Huesca, Heidi Kranz, Bec Slater, and Chisom Adirika about their work on how perspective-aware enhancements designed to further support families result in new parenting skills, more confidence in parenting, and stronger relationships with children.

Parents as Teachers is built upon a strong foundation of research and evidence-based programming. But what constitutes 'research', and what does “evidence-based” really mean? Scientifically, how do we know the model works? And how can we quantifiably measure impact?

Guest host Dr. Dipesh Navsaria speaks to Allison Kemner, Chief Research Officer of Parents as Teachers, about the research behind home visiting and how the science behind the program translates into positive, everyday results for families. Nathan Jorgensen and Danielle J. Allen, both of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC Chapel Hill, discuss how this research can be used to speak directly to addressing issues such as racial inequality in childhood. And Emma Posner and Jess Goldberg, both of Tufts Interdisciplinary Evaluation Research at Tufts University, explain how the research into home visiting can shape child abuse prevention and protection.

Traditionally designed to engage mothers, home visiting models have recently been expanded to include tools and techniques geared towards fathers. Parents as Teachers has partnered with Show Me Strong Families to explore how to involve fathers in home visits, increase outreach, and establish parent educators as a trusted resource where fathers can turn for support. Parent Educator Randall Hinton joins us to talk about the importance of cultivating and sustaining relationships with both mothers and fathers to promote healthy development for children and to update us on the work Parents as Teachers is doing to engage dads in home visits.

"Healthy, safe, and learning" applies to all of us, not just families! By staying on top of ongoing research and innovations in the field of home visiting, Family Support Professionals can benefit from learning and growth themselves. Janet Horras of the Institute for Advancement for Family Support Professionals, and Lakeeshia Sandlin, Program Director of TCR Parents as Teachers Home Visiting Program in Alabama, join us to talk about two key opportunities for professional growth and development (and a lot of fun along the way).

Having a winning idea and implementing a winning idea are very different undertakings. Today we’re speaking with two 2024 Challenge Grantees, Cori Silvey of Changing Tides, Helping Hands in Washington, and Julie Rains of Valley Center Schools in Kansas, about what they’ve learned after a year of working on their winning proposals for themselves and their community, and what future applicants can learn as they submit their own proposals.

Kerry Caverly, Chief Program Officer at Parents as Teachers National Center, is our special guest host.

Caregivers know that raising a child isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavor. But families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder may need specific family support in order to help their children realize their full potential and aid in the family’s functioning. Christy Roberts, a long-time parent educator and her son Will, an artist, gamer, athlete, speaker, and aspiring voice actor who is autistic, join us to talk about how to support families when a diagnosis of autism is made.

Home visitors have a unique skill set that blends child development, social work, and early childhood education, with compassion, warmth, and a keen ability to truly connect with families. Jane Lee, Alison Gee, and Allison Kemner join us to talk about who is doing this work on a daily basis, and what, as an organization with 40 years experience in the field, Parents as Teachers has learned about caring for families and where we can go from here.